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i don't know either.. I hate the whole victim thing... and those men on the DL.... there are no words to describe my feelings... the thought that keeping your secret is more importantant then saving a life.. or 2 if your partner became pregnant.. is out of my reach.... SPEECHLESS.....

The issue of HIV/AIDS int he African American community is a complex issue. The religious/church community is still a central part of the African American community.

Outreach and education has to start in the African American churches if the country wants to see a decline in the high rates of infection among African Americans. For economic, societal, and moral reasons, everybody should want to find a solution to this issue.

Traditionally, for practical and pragmatic reasons, the African American church has always been very conservative on social and moral issues. Since many heterosexual Black people view AIDS/HIV as a white/gay illness, outreach efforts have been slow to each the African American community. Though many may believe the reasons given on the show seem to claim a "victimhood mentality", their reasons have to be taken into account.

Simply put, in order to find a solution to the situation, the "community" has to look at the reasons mentioned on the show and come up with effective outreach efforts to combat this grave situation.

Sooner rather than later, the high rates of HIV infection in the Black community will affect us all.......negatively..........whether that be social or economic. It is in everyone's interest to find a solution.

I just watched the program, I'm so glad that ABC aired this. It's amazing that, although the #1 cause of death among African American women ages 25-44 is AIDS, the churches are not speaking about the issue as they should. And the current administration has done it's part to keep serious HIV prevention out of public schools.Shawn

For me it was hard to judge because I already knew and saw Gwen Ifel when she did her monitoring for the debates- she rocks. Jesse Jackson came off looking very bad , but again was this editing or his he too busy looking for booty to care.

In one of my first posts here I said we need to have our own lobbyist for HIV. I was confused because I read somewhere that HIV transmissions were not that high in prison. The show also made the men look irresponsible for spreading the virus. Was this in the editing or was is this the reality?In the end it left more questions each of the 5 points should have been made into a show onto itself. I wish Gwen had more input . I wasn't even sure who the indended audience was. I guess in the end it is better than nothing , but they can devote more time to who Jenny Anderson is dating - just me

CheersJohnny

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"You shut your mouthhow can you sayI go about things the wrong wayI am human and I need to be lovedjust like everybody else does"The Smiths

As I'm in the UK, I was unable to see the entire program. However, I did see various clips of interviews and certain segments of the program from ABC's Video on Demand website. Not having seen the full program, I don't know if my perceptions were carried through the entire program, but in any event, these were my observations:

1. The show was for an hour (I believe), so I suspect that my expectations that ABC would be able to present the full and complex issues that have resulted in the impact of HIV in the black community should have been adjusted accordingly. Given the need to sensationalize news, I worried that this show would be nothing more than further demonizing of black men (well gay/bi black men).

2. I watched a clip of prominent black women discussing men, relationships and sex and I saw what appeared to be a discussion about men on the down low. Again, it was more of the same mantra that you never know if your man has slept with another man, so you should have those difficult discussions and get tested before having sex. Fine. Perhaps that is a discussion every woman should have. BUT, what about the men who have never slept with another man, but has had unprotected sex with women? What about the men who have (or were) injected drug users? It sends a dangerous message to the community, if the focus of HIV prevention is viewed the lense of 'you may end up with closeted homosexual man.' And that message is, that only gays (and those who are unlucky enough to sleep with them) are the only source of HIV infection. And if you somehow verify he is "purely" straight, then you're okay.

3. Too much of the same message spouted by religious leaders. Don't have sex. Don't be promiscuous. Wait until you are married to have sex. Those messages are too simplistic and they have not and will not reach the intended audience. So why are we still focusing on it? Why can't a person of religion also focus on safer sex messages? Why can't they at least focus on getting tested and ensuring that every church member knows their HIV status? Why can't they at least focus on getting access to quality health care for their members? The STOP HAVING SEX message is tired and not productive. It needs to be augmented with other approaches. I'm not one to bash abstinence, because I think it can have its merits when focused on the right audience (and augmented with other messages). But I don't think church-going adults and young adults is the right audience for that message.

This is really about control and power. The church wants to have control and power over the lives of its members. HIV prevention, (and access to treatment quite frankly), is best when the individual is able to take charge of their life.

4. Why all the focus on black women? They constitute the minority of black people becoming positive (about a 1/3). Why not also focus on the segment that is responsible for 2/3's of the infection? Again, this goes back to point #1, just more demonizing of gay/bi black men (sexual predators). Therefore what happens to them is their own fault, so who gives a damn. Let's just focus on the innocent women, because they are victims of those sexual predators. While this makes for a great story line and perhaps it even gives some women comfort, it is unlikely to make a dent in the HIV infection rate. Gay black men are by far the largest group impacted by HIV and thus the show should have been overwhelming focused on them, if indeed there was serious intent to shed light on HIV in the black community.

5. I wonder if there was any focus on those who are positive? Not only are blacks disproportinately infected with HIV, they are also more likely to die from it. Why not also tackle the access to treatment and knowing your status early issue (relates back to the 1 hour time limit, I know)?

The one good thing is that it does at least brings attention to the disease and I suppose you can't expect for perfection and accuracy when dealing with a news organization. However this was just a start. Hopefully. And perhaps BET should have egg on its face for not being the first one to do this (and the gay/HIV documentary they only show at like 2 or 3 in the morning does not count).

Thanks for those points. Next time there is a question on HIV in the African-American community in the Vice-presidential debate they should get prepped by you. You remember Edwards and Cheney avoiding that question? Total embarrassment to them.

Rich - listening and learning.

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NB. Any advice about HIV is given in addition to your own medical advice and not intended to replace it. You should never make clinical decisions based on what anyone says on the internet but rather check with your ID doctor first. Discussions from the internet are just that - Discussions. They may give you food for thought, but they should not direct you to do anything but fuel discussion.

Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

Hello Everyone,I had taped the show, and watched it last night. Cliff and Corwyn both have excellent points.

The one thing that I just don't understand, and this goes to all groups, why is abstinence preached as the solution. It just does not work. People have sex. The message must be practice safe sex.

Cliff-there was a segment focusing on gay men. What I took from it, was that in the African American community being gay is not accepted, therefore the gay, hiv+ men really live in shame, and don't have much support.

The one thing I did not like was the part where the + woman were blaming the men. As a woman who chose to have unprotected sex it is just as much my responsibility as it was my partners. I could have said no condom...no sex, but I didn't.